Why The Rumored Toyota Stout Compact Pickup Already Has An Edge Over The Competition

May 03, 2023

While the Maverick and Santa Cruz have proved that demand for small trucks exists, here's how a compact pickup from Toyota could shake up the segment

The Ford Maverick has been stealing Toyota's sales for a while now and Toyota isn't liking it. In fact, Toyota needs to act quickly as one of the most traded-in vehicles when people buy a Maverick is the Rav4. Now, Toyota is no stranger to the pickup truck market. If you look at small trucks, Toyota used to have the Stout in its model lineup back in the 60. Now, the company is planning on taking on Ford and Hyundai in the compact truck segment as some senior Toyota officials have hinted at a potential Maverick rival.

You see, compact trucks are usually based on Crossovers, and the Japanese automaker already has some of the most successful crossovers in the market. This makes it easy for the company to design and produce a new compact truck in large numbers. So, with Ford's recent success and Toyota's capability of bringing a new compact pickup truck to market, let's have a look at why you should hold on to that Maverick purchase and wait for the rumored Stout instead.

RELATED: How The Rumored Toyota Stout Could Disrupt The Compact Pickup Truck Class

Toyota has off-late been nailing the styling of its trucks and the recently unveiled all-new 2024 Tacoma and Tundra are proof of that. Designers at the automaker manage to infuse a rugged, modern but also old-school look into the trucks that are expected to find their way into the compact segment as well. It would be cool to see a smaller version of the new Tundra and Tacoma with flared arches and an aggressive front end.

When released, the Toyota has a high chance of being the best-looking compact truck as Hyundai has made the Santa Cruz a bit too "soft" while the Maverick is a bit too simple. The Stout can strike the perfect balance between modern looks and a utilitarian vibe. Several renders on the web, point to a front end-design that we saw last year on the Compact Cruiser EV concept.

RELATED: Ford Maverick Vs. Hyundai Santa Cruz: Which Is The Better Compact Pickup?​​​​​​​

One of Ford's strongest selling points is the incredibly efficient but also powerful hybrid system. It is expected that when Toyota enters the market, the company is also likely offer a battery-assisted version of the compact truck.

Now, if there is one company we would trust with a hybrid vehicle it has got to be Toyota. Engineers at the brand have decades of experience in building functional and reliable battery-assisted vehicles since they were some of the very first to enter the market. This paired with the fact that the Maverick has been out for a long time now means that Toyota can beat Ford's benchmarks while also being more reliable and well-made.

The Maverick has had some recalls regarding fuel tank leaks, side curtain airbag glitches, and battery failures. Hybrid vehicles are incredibly complex and the slightest shortcut in quality and costs can lead to huge reliability problems. Toyotas may not be as reliable as they used to be, but there is no denying that there still is a level of superiority when it comes to durability and dependability. This alone should be a great reason to wait for the release of the Stout.

RELATED: 3 Advantages Of Compact Pickups Beyond Its Small Size

Toyota has one of the richest Off-Road histories in the automotive world. Over the years, the company has blessed the world with immensely capable models like the Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Hilux, and the FJ Cruiser. So, when the time comes for the Stout to be released, we expect it to offer some of the best abilities in the segment.

You should keep in mind, however, that the Stout won't be a full-on hardcore off-roader like the Tacoma or 4Runner. Compact trucks are based on Crossovers and have similar off-road abilities to crossovers. That being said, Ford has shown us what can be done with the Maverick Tremor which features a one-inch lift and even a rear locker. We expect Toyota to match or even exceed Ford's off-road features with an off-road-oriented version.

Also worth noting is the fact that Toyota can differentiate the Stout from the other two vehicles by making it more "trucky". What does that mean? Well, the Maverick and Santa Cruz are more crossover than a truck. This means that their towing and payload numbers are relatively low. The Stout is said to improve on those numbers bringing a compact truck with abilities that could be more reminiscent of mid-sized pickups.

RELATED: 10 Features We Want To See On The Rumored Toyota Stout Compact Pickup

Mid-sized and full-sized trucks are primarily work vehicles which can sometimes lead to a lack of the safety features that sedans and crossovers have. However, this isn't the case in the compact truck market. Ford's recent success shows that the compact truck is often being bought as a family vehicle that happens to offer the additional usability and practicality of an open bed.

Therefore, it is extremely important for this segment to be as safe as possible by including the latest and greatest in vehicle safety. The benefit of taking the unibody route is that it can offer superior safety as compared to a body-on-frame setup.

Some of the expected safety features include automatic emergency braking pedestrian detection, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and all the peripheral engineering additions like an immensely strong cabin surrounded by crumple zones.

Toyota has been taking safety seriously lately and has managed to receive some great results in crash tests. Since the Stout is expected to be based on existing Toyota crossovers we can expect teh Stout tofeature the TNGA-K platform, and there is no reason why it won't feature similar safety ratings. Because of this, there is a high possibility that the Stout might be the safest compact truck on the market.

RELATED: 3 Upcoming Compact Pickups That Should Worry The Ford Maverick

As it stands, the demand for the Maverick greatly outnumbers production numbers; therefore, customers face long waits to get their hands on one. This provides the perfect opportunity to wait until Toyota releases the Stout.

The Stout can easily become the best compact truck out there, as Toyota has not only had the time to analyze the market, but it also has incredible knowledge when it comes to trucks and crossovers. We believe that with the right hybrid system, additional capability than what the competition offers currently, design and crucially price, the Stout could be an appealing choice for those in the market, looking for a small and efficient truck, expected sometime in 2024 or 2025.

Theo has dedicated his life to cars. He has studied the only Automotive Journalism course in the world located at Coventry University and describes this passion as a clinical obsession. Give Theo four wheels and he will drool over the piece of metal, plastic, and glass in between them for hours. Once he is done, he will let you know if it's good or not.